


Incandescent Causality

by Shadowblayze



Series: Whimsy 'Verse [3]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 05:42:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6316855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowblayze/pseuds/Shadowblayze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Genesis has always been passionate, unable to do anything with only half of his heart.  </p><p>Therefore when he realized that the Planet was dying, despite Strife's many victories, he threw his entire being into finding a solution.</p><p>Time-travel was not so entirely out of the question, once he sat down and thought about it.</p><p>Just this once Genesis will play the hero.  Even if the only person who will remember is Strife.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Incandescent Causality

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr, but reworked.
> 
> I saw some Jenova discussions the other day, (I forgot who exactly was doing the discussing though!), that helped shape this.
> 
> I'm kinda unsure of how I want this to progress from this point, so I don't plan to continue it right this moment.
> 
> I kind of have a hazy idea to make it somewhat smutty and Gen/Cloud or something, but I am primarily a gen writer and the thought of writing romance scares me.
> 
> Let alone anything that could be construed as smutty.
> 
> However, my muses are sadistic little witches, so who knows.

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“ _Why_.” 

Genesis Rhapshodos looked down at the restrained form of Cloud Strife with a small, self-loathing grin.  “Because I’m selfish and greedy.”  The flame-haired man admitted easily, though the contempt in his tone was unmistakable.  Genesis fiddled with a few more buttons before apparently deciding that he was satisfied and he stepped back to look at the blond man properly. 

Strife was doing his level best to set Genesis on fire with his eyes.  An extremely understandable sentiment seeing as how Genesis had kidnapped him.  Genesis took another deep breath before he forced himself to continue- despite the truly frightening amount of unabashed fury that clouded Strife’s Mako-infused eyes. 

It had been nearly eighteen months since the battle against Deepground and Hojo’s last- _hopefully_ , _by the goddess_ \- round of human experimentation projects.  Genesis, who had sealed himself away, had been awoken from his self-imposed slumber at the conclusion of the events and had been unable to re-seal himself.

That was why he had noticed; why he had searched until he had found a way to make things right.

The Planet was strong, but She was weary and, truthfully, the water supply was far too contaminated to last much longer.  Genesis knew that he was really the only one who had cottoned on to the fact that the water supply was going to be the death of them all- though the World Regenesis Organization, under Tuesti, would likely stumble across the issue soon.

Well, hopefully not.

“The issue, Strife.”  Genesis explained as he crossed his arms over his leather trench coat and leaned back against the wall of the old lab, the leather muting the clinking of his numerous buckles and straps.  “Is that the water supply of the Planet has too many types of contamination in it for the Planet to efficiently cleanse it.”  Genesis was pleased to see that although the blond man was obviously still looking for a way to rip himself free and _murder_ Genesis, Strife seemed to be paying attention as well.

Genesis did so enjoy it when his audience appreciated his performance.  Pity that all the ones who had truly appreciated him had long since perished. 

He’d had a great deal to do with both Angeal’s death and Sephiroth’s madness, unfortunately. 

Genesis knew- like he knew the goddess had healed him, despite him being the _furthest_ thing from a hero- that Sephiroth would have given up his S-Cells in a _heartbeat_ for them back when they had been _friends_.

Pity that Genesis’ pride had caused him to shatter that friendship irreversibly, causing Angeal to despair and Sephiroth to burn the world in the end.  All the events that had transpired since the day he’d realized his wound _was not healing_ were not exclusively Genesis’ fault, of course, but Genesis could freely acknowledge that it had been _him_ that had set the three of them on their respective destructive, hollow paths.

“And?”  Strife’s low-pitched, lightly drawling voice brought Genesis out of his little mental side-trip and the former SOLDIER was incredibly grateful that he had had the foresight to triple the amount of restraints that he had calculated had been needed to hold Strife down.

“And-”  Genesis drawled back with an arched red eyebrow.  “-by the time the water supply could be properly cleansed- even if we started _today_ \- everyone would have already ingested too much for it to be of any use.  The people would die out in less than a decade- either from mutated strains of illnesses or from being forced to eat contaminated food, even if they could purify small amounts of water- and then the Corrupted Lifestream would increase in power exponentially.  _There is no way out of this situation_.  No magic cure.”

Strife’s blond eyebrow rose in response.  “There’s the Healing Water from the Church-“

“Strife.”  The blond’s mouth clicked shut, but the intensity of those bright, bright eyes was nearly too much for Genesis to handle.

Especially with when he considered what he was about to do.

“The Healing Water still has its limits.  I am the foremost expert on Jenova’s cells and the various experiments that have come about as a result.”  Genesis smiled lightly, but the emotion it was infused with spoke of an empty, twisted sort of pride.  “I already tested the Healing Water, and while it could be used to purify small sources of water- given a high enough ratio of contaminated to uncontained water- _it wouldn’t matter_.” 

Strife’s eyes were still filled with fury, but a certain amount of horror was beginning to slip around and take root.

Genesis huffed and slumped a bit against the wall.  “It’s in the _water_ , Strife.  _The entire Planet’s supply of water_.  That means it is in the clouds, the humidity, the oceans, the streams, the plants, the animals- _everything_.”  Genesis allowed his eyes to slip shut for a brief moment before he forced himself to look directly at Strife once more.  “It’s a self-perpetuating cycle.  The Planet cleanses small portions- which could be boosted by the Healing Water- but then it is returned when you wash or use the restroom or spit on the ground.  Using the Healing Water cured you of the Geostigma, but the cells that are rendered inert by your body- via the Water which bonded with your very DNA and allows your body to reject the cells without causing your immune system to turn against itself-  are still _poison_ to the Planet.  They cannot be absorbed into the Lifestream naturally- if they could then the mutated monsters that have plagued the Planet for all of our recorded history would have never existed- but they _can_ be absorbed by the Corrupted Lifestream or be cannibalized by active J-Cells or S-Cells or even G-Cells.  If Geostigma had only affected a small portion of the population things wouldn’t be quite so grim, but Geostigma was quite literally _a world-wide plague_ and though all of those people have been cured, the issue has not been truly _resolved_.”

There was silence for a long moment.

“So.”  Strife began slowly, his fair brow furrowing as he tried to reconcile everything together.  “The rejected cells are causing the Planet to be poisoned?  They’re poisoning the Lifestream?  _The Geostigma was cured_.”

Genesis shook his head sharply.  “The original source of the Geostigma came when parts of the Corrupted Lifestream came into contact with people when the Lifestream rose up to protect the Planet from Meteor.  That was the _original_ cause.  Eventually the Healing Water cured it, yes, but by then the contamination had spread- Jenova’s cells latching onto other living organisms and multiplying, as the Calamity was apt to do.  Well.”  Genesis paused, a twisted sort of amusement tugging at his lips.  “The Calamity- Jenova- has been made a faceless villain.”

Strife made an anguished sound of protest, the glare returning with interest. 

“Come now, Strife.”  Genesis cooed facetiously.  “The Calamity was an alien whose only known objective was to consume worlds and then ride their husks to the next planet, but She was only evil to us because we were on the other side of things.”

“People tend to be a bit attached to their lives, Rhapshodos.”  Strife bit out waspishly.

Genesis ignored the comment and continued, tapping the toe of his boot against the wall as he did so.  “Yes, Jenova was a true Calamity to us- but what if there were worlds which needed to be destroyed?  Have you ever stopped to consider that perhaps Gaia is not alone in the universe?  How many potential invaders did Jenova thwart before landing on Gaia?”  Genesis held up a hand to forestall any protests.  “While I do find the theory fascinating, my point is Jenova- J-Cells, S-Cells, G-Cells- they are all wholly alien to Gaia, to the Planet and the Lifestream.  The Planet adapted over time, of course.   The goddess- there is a great deal of debate about the Planet and the goddess being separate entities, a theory of which I ascribe to- Herself granted me her Blessing, curing my Degradation. 

“However Jenova’s innate instincts to survive, adapt, and conquer coupled with the meddling of scientists- particularly Hojo, whom I believe was fully taken over by Jenova to the fullest extent a pure human without a single grain of Cetra heritage could be- the threat of the Calamity yet again metamorphosed.  Actually more of a series of evolutions that are all grim situations in and of themselves, let alone when brought together as a whole.”  Genesis sighed and shifted, the leather of his jacket creasing and his buckles clinking as he took to pacing, brow furrowed as he tried to plan out the next segment of his explanations.   “By the time the cure had been freely distributed the _slight infection_ had become a _pandemic_.  All the excess inert cells that are voided by those who have been cured only exacerbate the problem.”  Genesis ran a gloved hand through his hair as he tried to think of a fitting analogy. 

He- _Genesis Rhapshodos_ \- came up empty.  It greatly aggravated him.

Strife’s next words highlighted the fact that the blond man was very much not simply a pretty little puppet, no matter what his former friend’s various incarnations professed.

“I always wondered.”  Strife said after another long, tense moment had passed.  “How the Planet had been able to defeat Jenova and allow….her…to summon the Healing Rain and why it hadn’t been done before.  All of the Cetra are gone now, or at least they’ve all gone on to the Lifestream.”  Strife seemed to struggle at some points of the statement, but he kept his voice level and tone flat.

“I believe the Cetra’s presence in the Lifestream and all the knowledge the Planet gained from them and their battles with the Calamity when they rejoined the Lifestream are _exactly_ why the Planet was able to save us.  Of course, Hojo‘s -“  Genesis’ eyes sparked with unreasonable fury for a moment, but he grit his teeth and pressed forward.  “- not to mention the countless others’ experimentations- most of the truly damaging experiments, the ones that ended up strengthening the Calamity and making Her more resilient occurred after Gast left Shinra-  made the Calamity more resilient and adaptable, but at the same time the Planet was also able to grow and change to accommodate the shift.  The WEAPONs for example.”

“The Planet kept the Calamity- Jenova- sealed for thousands of years until Shinra extracted the fossil from the Crater.”  Strife mused, still tugging at his restraints, but looking contemplative.  “Reeve said that the records the WRO have recovered state that the weather was against them the whole time- that everything that could possibly go wrong _did_.   Reeve made a timeline and there were more calculations than I really understood- but the extraction began in earnest in the mid-to-late seventies, over twenty years after the Nibelheim Reactor was built.  By then all the Reactors in Midgar- possibly nine if reactor Zero was already up and going- had been built. 

“The plains around Midgar started permanently dying off less than six months after the Reactors went in, according to Reeve, and it only got worse and spread further after that.  By this point the Planet’s unleashed all the WEAPONs, fended off Meteor, and then survived Geostigma.”  Strife’s tone turned grimmer the longer he spoke, a new sort of horror dawning behind his eyes.  “The Planet is the weakest She’s ever been, with positively no backup plan, not with Chaos confined in Vincent and with…..”  The blond sealed his eyes tightly closed and grit his teeth for a moment as horror flooded his system.  “If the water supply has been wholly contaminated- it already had Mako and a bunch of other shit we were worried about, just from the Reactors and shitty management on Shinra’s part over the years- then….”  Strife tossed his head back against the table and cursed.

Or, Genesis was assuming Strife was cursing, as he was speaking in a language that must have been indigenous to Nibelheim.

“Grim as it might be-“  Genesis stated carefully, rounding off his pacing pattern to stand near Strife’s left side.  “-that is an apt assessment of the situation.  Personally-“  Genesis looked to the side and hummed a bit as his eyes traced the designs he had painstakingly carved into the stonework of the former laboratory.  “-I believe that pushing Sephiroth-“  Strife snarled and strained against his bonds.  “-into the Mako was part of Jenova’s plan.”

“The _fuck_ is that supposed to mean?”  Strife roared, the veins in his neck bulging with exertion as he struggled desperately against the binds that held him in place.  “The whole reason that Hojo was interested in me, that he took me and Zack-“   Strife trailed off into an overcome, anguished moan, throwing his head back against the table and dragging in gulping breaths as he tried to calm himself.

Genesis approved of the rage with which Strife snarled the hated scientist’s name.  Hojo was quite the bastard, a puppet of Jenova or not.  There had been a _reason_ Hollander had been firm on being referred to as _Doctor_ Hollander.

“-was _because_ I beat his pet project.”  Strife finished after successfully managing to pull in some much needed air.

“Ah, but there’s the rub, so to speak.”  Genesis mused as he walked one more circuit around Strife, eyeing the designs critically.  “Jenova could not have eradicated every part of Hojo, though I do still believe that he was Her puppet.  However, I imagine that She would not have clued Hojo in on one small detail.”

“And that is?”  Strife snarled dangerously, the green growing more prominent in his Mako-bright eyes as he continued to fight.

“By pushing Sephiroth into the Mako, the part of him that was a child of Gaia was lost, leaving behind an alien with Sephiroth’s memories.  Well, my theory is that it tore away the parts of him that came from the Planet, as I am sure you’re aware that each incarnation was more insane than the last?”  Genesis arched an imperious eyebrow.  “I assure you, Sephiroth was much different when he was whole- partially fused with alien cells or not.  I suspect that breaking his mind was not enough for the Calamity, She would have wanted any part of him that was attached to Gaia eradicated.”

Strife stopped struggling long enough to give Genesis a fury-filled, dumbfounded look.  “ _What_?”

“Strife.”  Genesis drawled as he once again came to a stop, this time as Strife feet.  “You have forgotten something important.  Something that somewhat validates this theory.”

“I wonder _why_ -“

“Angeal never suffered from Degradation.  He purposefully _chose_ to die.”

Strife snapped his mouth shut and narrowed his eyes as Genesis.

A humorless smirk sprawled across Genesis’ lips as he leaned against the end of the table.  “I, upon finding out I was dying, chose to seek the Gift of the Goddess while simultaneously attempting to cause the end of the world because I was dying.  I am a _failed experiment_.”  Genesis leaned forward, his expression filled with bright white teeth and bitter, helpless loathing.  “Angeal chose to die because he knew that he was the successful experiment.  That his life and experiences would only make Jenova more resilient in the end and that legacy would live on through any children he might have sired.  Angeal knew that _he_ would return to the Lifestream, but his cells- the G-Cells- would _not_ because they are foreign and are therefore _toxic_ to Gaia.  So upon his death the Calamity would grow _stronger_.”

Strife barely seemed to be breathing by this point, his body taut with tension enough to shatter from the lightest brush of Genesis’ fingers.  Even Strife’s normally resiliently rebellious spiky hair seeming to droop.

“What Angeal did not know- what fucking Gillian Hewley did not know- was that Angeal’s cells were actually an imperfect form of Gaia’s newest generation of defense against the Calamity.”  At Strife’s pinched look, Genesis sighed wearily and elaborated, acutely aware that time was growing short.  “The Gift of the Goddess- the cells I now carry- it was supposed to be Angeal’s.  Even with the Gift- Her Blessing- my cells are imperfect.  Angeal’s cells- as the successful experiment, having been passed naturally to him via his mother- were fundamentally different.  I firmly believe that Angeal, having been granted the Blessing or the Gift or whatever you wish to call it, was supposed to be Gaia’s hero.”  Genesis’ throat closed over as he thought about everything that had gone wrong, at how they had gone in the _opposite direction_ of what they had needed.

Of how the answers had been right there, just in fragmented sections that made no sense until all of them had been meticulously reassembled through painstaking research and the cold, bitter understanding of hindsight.

“Angeal only needed another half step to be the Planet’s next defense.”  Genesis finally managed through his gritted teeth, his leather gloves creaking dangerously and he clenched his fists tighter.   “A man whose cells could fuse with the animals of Gaia and protect them from mutating into depraved monsters, and consequently becoming carriers of a thousand different pollutants.  Angeal’s healthy cells would be able to enhance the instincts of native beasts- and, I firmly believe, men; building actual SOLDIERs instead of lesser Jenova clones- without making them fiends.  But as he was Angeal was incomplete, a half-step shy of that.  It’s why his copies always suffered from Degradation.”

“Aerith.”  Strife mumbled quietly, the name twisting from his lips with such fond longing it affected even Genesis’ calloused heart.

“Indeed.”  Genesis murmured, compassion slipping through him at the wrecked sight of the Planet’s savior on the table before him.  “The Cetra girl was a Healer, was she not?  I believe her power was the Planet’s answer to Projects G and S.  Hollander was trying to rebirth Cetra Healers, I guess he succeeded.”  Genesis huffed and shook his head, returning to the task at hand.  “At any rate, I believe Angeal only needed the Cetra’s assistance- a variation of the Gift or Blessing- to transition from being a carrier of the Calamity to a walking counter-attack on behalf of the Planet.  Angeal’s cells did not create mindless monsters after all, not even when injected into actual wildlife.  They only turned into mindless beasts after being exposed to mutated monsters, Mako, or other Calamity-ridden things.”

Strife blinked several times and heaved a few great, shuddering breaths.

Genesis gave the man a small, genuine smile.  The very least he could do for this young man who had gone through so much- who had fought so hard- only to find it was all for naught. 

Well, this time around.  The next bout would be up to Strife, but Genesis had faith in Strife’s heart, in the blond’s determination.

 “That……makes a surprising amount of sense.”  Strife muttered after another long moment.  Bright eyes pinned Genesis in his place with a ferocious amount of livid heat.  “So what do you want from _me_?”

“As I said before, I am a selfish man, Strife.  Selfish and greedy both, actually.  However, for all of you selflessness you are selfish as well.”  Genesis hurried to finish, ignoring the mutters from the blond as he did so.  “You cannot tell me that you don’t wish to save Angeal’s Puppy or that Cetra girl, perhaps even your mother; I wish to save Angeal….and Sephiroth.  Sephiroth before the part of him that was my _friend_ was lost forever.”

Strife’s struggles increased and two of the specially designed restraints _snapped_.

Genesis exhaled despondently; he was running out of time.

“Look, Str- _Cloud_.”  Genesis pled gently, spreading his hands out in front of him as he tried to think of a way to make Cloud understand that it had to be the blond and it had to be this way, right now.  “I don’t expect you to save me, but I will tell you that everything that happened- Angeal’s suicide via Puppy, Sephiroth’s madness, Deepground’s success- they were my fault in some way or another.”  Genesis smiled down at the blond man, but he knew it was a hollow, broken expression.  “I met the goddess and She granted me a second chance, and if this is not Her will then it will fail and you will survive while I perish for my foolishness.  But if this works, for the goddesses’ sake Cloud _save Angeal Hewley from my madness_.  If for no other reason than to save Zackary Fair from having to kill him.”

“What.  Are.  You.  Talking.  About.”  Strife gritted out from between clenched teeth, the bulging, twitching muscles in his exposed arms exposing just how hard the blond was trying to escape.

“This was once a lab belonging to Professor Gast, a privately funded one that he used during his post-Shinra years.  The one under Icicle Inn was better equipped, but this one suited my purposes much better.  The synthetic stone-like table you’re strapped to, for instance.  I knew mere metal would not hold you.  This equipment was made with a mind for studying Summons, however, and is much more durable, if not conducive to more common laboratory procedures.”   Genesis replied instead, gracefully striding over to the computer that was nestled in the corner of the room and tapping a few keys in rapid succession, which earned him a few flashing screens before a steady green-highlighted countdown appeared on the screen. 

“What the _fuck_ are you doing Rhapshodos?”  Strife growled, panicked despite his fearless visage.  “Answer me, dammit!”

Genesis fluidly swept Rapier up into his hand and walked over towards a strange array of Materia.  “I have no idea if you will be sent back in body or simply in soul.  I planned for this place to supplant the old- past- laboratory, so your beast and your sword _should_ be here.  You, however, might wake up as you are or in your younger body.”  Genesis smiled at the spitting, snarling man.  “The theory is less ‘older you replacing younger you’ and more ‘you blinking and being exactly as you were prior to the blink only older in mind’, so no need to worry your pretty head about being an interloper in your own body.” 

“There _has_ to be a better choice!”  Strife howled desperately, arching up off the table as best he could.  “Reeve, Barret, _fucking Cid_ , Reeve-“  Strife continued to list names but the countdown began to flash red. 

 _“To become the dew that quenches the land/To spare the sands, the seas, the skies/I offer thee this silent sacrifice._ ” Genesis quoted soulfully as the next stage began.  Pure Mako was dispensed from the nearby vat, the Condensed Lifestream flowing easily through the grooves that had been painstaking carved onto the floor.  Genesis took a deep breath and then took the final plunge, Rapier’s glowing sigils painted crimson as she faithfully answered his call.

Genesis’ closed-eyed, peaceful expression was the last thing that Cloud remembered before the brilliant green flare of the Lifestream blinded him and the pain began.

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